April 22, 2006

On Saturday morning the soaking weather discouraged any participants from showing up. There was good birding anyway, including:

First of Season:

Magnolia Warblers, Henslow's Sparrows.

Other notables:

Blue-winged Teal
Wilson's Snipe
Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

33 species, 8 sparrows.

April 25, 2006: Bird sightings Brown Mountain and Brown Mountain Overlook Trails  

solitary vireo
hermit thrush
ovenbird
b.c. chickadee
Tennessee warbler
Canada goose
black-throated green warbler
American goldfinch
least flycatcher
ruffed grouse
rufous-sided towhee
turkey vulture
yellow-shafted flicker
winter wren
downy woodpecker
broad-winged hawk
junco
Wilson’s snipe
song sparrow

August 6, 2005: Hello, all,

I am happy to report that fortune smiled on our bird walk this morning off FR 80, in Canaan NWR. Right when we arrived, at around 8:45 this morning, there was a group of 6 HENSLOW'S SPARROWS flying around in the field west of the road. Two of them perched for several minutes, affording excellent (if > ~100 yards distant) views. It was my best view ever of this species.
Interestingly, their size and plumage is more reminiscent of a goldfinch than another sparrow, with their dark wings and yellow breast and flanks, and each exactly 5" long according to Sibley. There were at least a dozen either visible or audible in the field.

Other than that, the most notable feature of the walk was some recently-relocated warblers: we saw Black-throated Green and Yellow
Warblers in a hawthorn next to the boardwalk at Freeland Road, and listened to two Magnolia Warblers singing in the woods at the edge of the pasture next to the parking lot in FR 80. During breeding season, the BTNWs and MAWAs are always higher up on the hill.

And the Palm Warblers were nowhere to be seen. Maybe the ones that typically stick around for several weeks in the fall haven't arrived yet.

Casey Rucker
Dryfork, WV

July 2, 2005: Birds and Their Habitat walk with Casey Rucker. We had 40 species, all usual suspects except that we saw two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in Freeland. It was a very July kind of walk.

Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chiickadee
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Ovenbid
Common Yellowthroat
Scarket Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Swamp Sparrow
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

In contrast, my walk down at Seneca Rocks, just a loop starting from the visitor center, was wildly successful. Many bird families have moved down from the hillside, and we saw Worm-eating Warbler with chick, great looks at a male Cerulean Warbler with chick, plus we had a calling Black-billed Cuckoo, my first ever in that area. A total of 51 species, and babies everywhere.

May 14, 2005: Tucker County Migration Count results:

Great blue heron 2
Canada goose 16
Wood duck 1
Mallard 3
Killdeer 3
American woodcock 1
Turkey vulture 19
Cooper’s hawk 1
Red-shouldered hawk 1
Broad-winged hawk 6
Red-tailed hawk 5
Ruffed grouse 1
Mourning dove 18
Yellow-billed cuckoo 1
Black-billed cuckoo 1
Barred owl 4
Ruby-throated hummingbird 6
Belted kingfisher 1
Northern (yellow-shafted)
flicker 12
Downy woodpecker 6
Hairy woodpecker 5
Red-bellied woodpecker 4
Pileated woodpecker 10
Eastern kingbird 2
Great crested flycatcher 4
Eastern wood pewee 1
Eastern phoebe 13
Least flycatcher 24
Alder flycatcher 2
Acadian flycatcher 3
Tree swallow 9
Barn swallow 19
Northern rough-winged
Swallow 3
Blue jay 75
American crow 40
Common raven 10
Tufted titmouse 5
Black-capped chickadee 54
Brown creeper 3
White-breasted nuthatch 14
Red-breasted nuthatch 3
House wren 7
Winter wren 15
Carolina wren 2
Golden-crowned kinglet 6
Eastern bluebird 1
Veery 5
Wood thrush 5
Hermit thrush 13
American robin 84
Gray catbird 13
Brown thrasher 4
Cedar waxwing 4
European starling 27
Red-eyed vireo 76
Blue-headed vireo 30
Warbling vireo 2
Northern parula 12
Black and white warbler 4
Black-throated blue warbler 13
Blackburnian warbler 12
Chestnut-sided warbler 34
Magnolia warbler 45
Yellow-rumped (myrtle)
Warbler 6
Black-throated warbler 108
Yellow warbler 9
Canada warbler 8
Hooded warbler 6
Ovenbird 23
Northern waterthrush 1
Louisiana waterthrush 8
Common yellowthroat 55
American redstart 14
Northern cardinal 9
Indigo bunting 6
Rufous-sided towhee 56
Grasshopper sparrow 2
Savannah sparrow 2
Song sparrow 47
Swamp sparrow 31
Field sparrow 11
Chipping sparrow 44
Dark-eyed junco 30
Bobolink 12
Eastern meadowlark 8
Red-winged blackbird 63
Brown-headed cowbird 29
Common grackle 14
Baltimore oriole 2
Scarlet tanager 19
American goldfinch 45
Purple finch 3
House finch 6
Rose-breasted grosbeak 31
English sparrow 5

96 total species
1538 individual birds counted

March 5, 2005: Bird Walk led by Casey Rucker.

Mallard
American Kestrel
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Common Raven
American Crow
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin (!)
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow.

February 21, 2005: Four bald eagles: two adult and two immature, were seen by the Dzaack family along Camp 70 Road on President's Day weekend.

February 12, 2005 Bird Walk led by Casey Rucker.

Casey's report: We went to the beaver pond boardwalk on Freeland, and the snipe was there to give us very brief views before he or she flew up and invisibly down. Then the dark-morph rough-legged hawk gave everyone great views. Not a hint of the shrike, though. We proceeded to the bird feeder at Whitegrass and got eight more species, including red-breasted nuthatch. I think everyone had a good time.

Bird list:

Rough-legged Hawk (dark morph)
Wilson's Snipe
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Dark-eyed Junco

February 9, 2005

Doug and Deena Snapp saw a northern shrike on Freeland Tract. Photos can be viewed on their web site (the snapps . com)

Figure: Canaan valley is known for its woodcock population. These upland shorebirds nest and raise young here. It is also an important migratory stop for woodcock that breed farther north. Photo courtesy USFWS Image Library.

June 11, 2005: Birding By Ear walk with Casey Rucker- Freeland Road and FR 80

Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Meadowlark
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch

May 28, 2005: Birding By Ear walk with Casey Rucker.

Canada Goose X
Wild Turkey X
Turkey Vulture X
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Kestrel
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher X
Alder Flycatcher X
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe X
Blue-headed Vireo X
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Tufted Titmouse X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Brown Creeper X
House Wren X
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird X
Hermit Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
Cedar Waxwing X
European Starling X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler X
American Redstart
Ovenbird X
Common Yellowthroat X
Northern Cardinal X
Scarlet Tanager X
Eastern Towhee X
Rose-breasted Grosbeak X
Chipping Sparrow X
Field Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Grasshopper Sparrow X
Savannah Sparrow X
Vesper Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Indigo Bunting X
Eastern Meadowlark X
Bobolink X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X

April 23, 2005: Bird walk led by Casey Rucker.

The weather cooperated enough Saturday morning for a productive walk in the
Beall Tract of Canaan NWR. We had 31 species. The birds we found were:

Turkey vulture
Killdeer
Downy woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Northern flicker
Eastern phoebe
Blue-headed vireo (including a couple engaged in mating activities)
Tree swallow
American crow
Blue jay
Common raven
Ruby-crowned kinglet (several)
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Eastern bluebird
Hermit thrush
American robin
Brown thrasher
European starling
Yellow warbler
Palm warbler
Black-throated green warbler
Northern cardinal
Eastern towhee
Chipping sparrow
Field sparrow
Song sparrow
Eastern meadowlark
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
Brown-headed cowbird
American goldfinch

And, accumulated snowfall from the weekend at my house at 3000' was 8-1/2"
this morning. A lot of cold, hungry birds at my feeders!